In Nakapiripirit town, alcohol is not merely a drink, it is a tag of social identity, and sometimes a measure of bravery.
Once there was a Kenyan tractor operator who had done commendable work and after completion, a lady chose to gift him, so she asked for his favourite drink.
“Bring me Bell beer,” he said.
But the lady’s reaction was the least he expected. She looked at him the way a marathon world record holder might look at someone celebrating a 100m jog.
Then she said:
“You drink beer meant for ladies. I will bring you four bottles of Nile Special,” she said.
The lady said so because Bell beer has only 4% beer, while Nile Special is considered a strong beer with 5.6% content.
In Nakapiripirit town, alcohol is just but a usual cup of tea. Or let’s say, in some towns, people bond over tea; in Nakaps, tea is what you take when you are taking a break from alcohol.
Most farm workers wake up to a morning breakfast of traditional booze and a teetotaler may have a boring social life here.
“We no longer do drinking in moderation, it is now a social identity. If you didn’t touch booze for a month, what would your social life look like,” a resident tells WoK.
You must buy busaa for your farm workers
Nakapiripirit is located in Eastern Uganda, around 60 km from the Kenyan border. It is home to the Karamojong people who share an identical culture with the Turkana of Kenya. However, there are also Pokot people, Bagisu and the Kadama.
Traditionally, the Karamojong people are known to be pastoralists. It is only a few years ago that Nakapiripirit started embracing agriculture. The main crops cultivated are maize, beans, sorghum and groundnuts.
If you’re a newcomer in this town and you decide to venture into agriculture, you must be prepared to buy jerricans of busaa for your workers, otherwise work won’t be done.
“That is our tradition here. For ten workers, you must buy 20 litres of busaa. If you don’t do that, nobody will work for you. The only alternative is to go to prison and pay a fee to have prisoners brought to your farm,” hinted another local.
Breweries, clubs cash big
Because of this, people brewing traditional alcohol cash big. The breweries are a hive of activities in the mornings, especially during peak agricultural activities. The sound of deep rumbles of motorbikes as they transport hundreds of litres of booze in yellow jerricans is not unusual.
In the evenings, the clubs come lively with booming music, regardless of the day of the week. In Nakapiripirit (and Uganda by a large extent) alcohol, whether illegally brewed or otherwise is quite affordable.
A 500ml bottle of Nile Special costs approximately Ugx 4500 which translates to only Ksh 150. Its availability is ubiquitous; even general stores and dukas stock alcohol.
But Nakapiripirit is not only about booze, the town is rapidly expanding and transforming. The recent road projects especially one that links it to Mbale is set to attract more investors. It is also a mining centre with deposits of gold and mercury. Additionally, it serves as an administrative centre with an office of the Regional District Commissioner.
Kenyans rushing in to invest
There is a robust community of Kenyans investing in Nakapiripirit. The biggest retail shops are for example dominated by the Somali community. Some have ventured into hardware business and furniture workshops.
At the heart of town is a businessman nicknamed ‘Beba Yote.’ He is from Ukambani and runs a successful mitumba shop. He has a chain of Beba Yote stalls in other towns as well including Moroto.